Cottage: “The wind resistance has been improved, so there will be no more drafts in the future, and also no more leaks, no more dampness, and improved warmth.”
Xu Ning couldn't help but nod after hearing this: “This way, this winter won't be so hard to get through!”
After all, Xu Ning knew that in this era, winter was the hardest to endure, and countless people froze to death every winter.
If the Cottage could be upgraded to mortal-grade high-rank before winter arrived, then this winter should not be so scary.
That night, Xu Ning slept very comfortably; the upgraded Cottage seemed to have also enhanced his sense of security, making Xu Ning sleep more soundly than ever before.
Early in the morning, Xu Ning carried the fermented manure bucket to the fields to water the corn.
Today, this batch of corn was also about to ripen.
Looking at the first batch, which was as thick as a thigh, Xu Ning felt very satisfied.
Moreover, this time was different from before; the first batch only had five stalks, and Xu Ning had broken off the first one to cook and eat as tender corn.
This time there were more than ten stalks in total, and all of them were complete, making it a big harvest directly.
Immediately, Xu Ning eagerly began to harvest them.
Just two of them filled Xu Ning's back basket.
“Xu Ning, why are you cutting grass? Did you buy a cow?” On the way back, Xu Ning met Mei Miaomiao's mother, Mother Mei, and couldn't help but ask when she saw Xu Ning.
Fortunately, Xu Ning had been careful before and covered the corn with grass, but the other party's question still made Xu Ning's heart skip a beat.
He immediately said, “Aunt Mei, I'm cutting it to dry and use as bedding!”
At the same time, Xu Ning secretly made up his mind to find a way to cover the cornfield later, absolutely not letting others discover it, otherwise, there would be big trouble.
Mother Mei smiled after hearing this: “You little fellow are quite good at managing your household! By the way, you've been running to the fields a lot lately, what are you busy with?”
Mother Mei was quite resentful that Xu Ning hadn't come to help for a long time, as the lack of a laborer made them feel particularly tired recently.
Xu Ning immediately panicked upon hearing this and quickly said, “Aunt Mei, I've been cutting grass to repair the Cottage recently, and I haven't had time to manage anything in the fields.”
Mother Mei: “Got it, got it, hurry up, carrying it is tiring too!”
Xu Ning didn't say anything more and quickly carried it back home.
Mother Mei watched Xu Ning's receding back, and couldn't help but feel curious, so she walked towards Xu Ning's plot of land.
She wanted to see how Xu Ning's crops were growing; if they were good, she would consider Mei Miaomiao and Xu Ning's matter.
Before long, Mother Mei arrived at Xu Ning's field, and then she froze completely, her mouth slowly widening, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The corn was simply too big, completely subverting her understanding.
One must know that the corn grown by their own family wasn't even as tall as she was, and the corn cobs weren't even as big as her fist.
Looking at Xu Ning's corn again, one had to look up to see the top, and the corn cobs were as thick as a thigh.
It could be said that this completely overturned Mother Mei's perception of corn.
“How on earth was this grown?” Mother Mei couldn't help but exclaim.
Wait, Mother Mei suddenly thought of something, which was that Xu Ning often picked up excrement on the road and brought it to the field. Could it be because of that excrement?
It must be. I didn't expect this kid to know so much.
At this moment, Mother Mei had already decided to go pick it up later, and she would mobilize the whole family to do so.
After carrying the corn back home, Xu Ning hurriedly went to the field, fearing that Aunt Mei would come and see the corn's condition.
To Xu Ning's relief, he did not see Aunt Mei in the field.
Xu Ning dared not relax his vigilance and began to speed up.
However, this harvest was somewhat beyond Xu Ning's expectations; he harvested for a whole day and still didn't finish.
To avoid prolonged delays, Xu Ning didn't dare to stop at night either, staying busy until dawn the next day, finally harvesting all the corn.
Early the next morning, looking at the small mountain of corn cobs piled in the corner of the Cottage, Xu Ning felt an indescribable satisfaction.
With this corn, Xu Ning wouldn't have to worry about food for a short period of time.
“Should I dry them?” Xu Ning suddenly thought of another problem.
Raw corn is not easy to preserve and will get moldy. Generally, it needs to be baked or sun-dried.
However, this corn cannot be taken out to dry in the sun. If someone sees it, it will be over.
So, the only option was to find a way to bake them dry.
At this moment, the Cottage's voice came: “Xu Ning, there's no need to be so troublesome. mortal-grade mid-rank corn isn't that easy to get moldy, and I am now mortal-grade mid-rank, so I can ensure the house always remains dry, making it even less likely to get moldy.”
Xu Ning nodded in relief after hearing this.
Finally, the work was done, and Xu Ning decided to have a good sleep.
But just then, there was a sudden knock on the door from outside.
Who is it, so early in the morning!
Cottage: “It's Mei Miaomiao!”
Her? Why is she here?
Xu Ning could only walk over and open the door, immediately seeing Mei Miaomiao standing outside.
And as soon as Mei Miaomiao saw Xu Ning open the door, she immediately tried to squeeze inside.
Xu Ning quickly blocked her: “What are you doing?”
Mei Miaomiao: “Move aside, I want to go in, it's cold outside!”
Xu Ning glanced at the bright sunny sky outside and the sweat on Mei Miaomiao's face, speechless. It's the middle of summer, and you say it's cold outside? Find a better excuse!
“Say whatever you need to say outside!” Xu Ning's face was resolute, not wanting Mei Miaomiao to come in.
Looking at Xu Ning's determined gaze, Mei Miaomiao seemed to see through everything: “You just don't want me to see your corn cobs that are as thick as a thigh, do you?”
Xu Ning's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and a bad premonition rose in his mind. Exposed? How was it exposed?
Since he had already been discovered, Xu Ning simply stopped blocking Mei Miaomiao and let her in.
As soon as she entered the Cottage, Mei Miaomiao's gaze was drawn to the corn piled in the corner, her mouth slowly widening, unable to speak for a long time.
Last night, after her mother returned, she told them what she saw in Xu Ning's field, and Mei Miaomiao and Mei Erzhu were a thousand percent disbelieving.
So, she came today to confirm, and it turned out to be true. The corn gave her the feeling of two words: so big! Three words: Oh! So big!
This, this one is enough for a family to eat for several days, right?
Gulp—
Mei Miaomiao swallowed: “Is this really what you grew?”
Xu Ning nodded, spreading his hands: “Otherwise?”
Mei Miaomiao: “How did you do this?”
Xu Ning: “This is a type of corn variety I discovered in the mountains; it just grows this big!”
“Then is it related to the excrement you picked up?” Mei Miaomiao remembered that last night her mother suggested going to pick up excrement, but Mei Miaomiao and Mei Erzhu, who didn't believe it at the time, directly refused.
After all, that stuff smells so bad, they definitely rejected it.
Xu Ning nodded: “Of course, that stuff contains a lot of nutrients for plants and can help them grow.”
Mei Miaomiao: “No wonder you picked it up every day, so that's what it was!”